@hustlertwo
I noticed you use a lot of choices that goto the same label.

Example below:

*choice
#"Look, $!{mama} isn't playing around here. If you don't take this seriously, you could get held back a grade."
That sobers $!{aname} up quick, and ${ahe} falls silent.
*goto release
#"Just stick with it. I know you can do this!"
$!{ahe} grumbles. "I haven't so far."
*goto release
#"If that's your attitude, you just added five more minutes to us working on this."
$!{ahe} groans, but is wise enough not to compound the damage by speaking out again.
*goto release

If you are not setting stats in the choices you can use fake_choice, so you don’t have to use the gotos.

I truly was not able to figure out how to do fake choices when I did NPT. Eventually I figured it would take longer to figure it out than it would to just keep doing regular choices and gotos. Plus, I can advertise my stories of being free of fake choices! Which I like to think is true anyhow; I am not a fan of choices that literally do nothing, so while it’s not accurate to say 100% of mine at least have a line or two of unique text or stat boosts, it would be accurate to say the number is a solid 98% or more. I use those sorts of ersatz choices as seldom as possible.

But then, with judges, how could one possibly know what they want? With the diverse number of opinions floating around, a game about being a janitor in an SCP-esque facility might be better (opinion wise) than a classic superhero tale.

But then, with judges, how could one possibly know what they want? With the diverse number of opinions floating around, a game about being a janitor in an SCP-esque facility might be better (opinion wise) than a classic superhero tale.

Well, NPT didn’t place, so Parenting could pretty much only have done the same or better.

Finished my 25,000 word push as a semi-NaNoWriMo! Word total has gone form around 32,900 to the mid-58,000 range, meaning this is roughly halfway done. I have bounced around a bit, so the next update will likely also be a double (I have more of year 10 done right now than 9) and be the largest yet, as each year will likely exceed 7,500 words or more. So you may or may not see it in December. I’m also including my checklist for December stuff to do, if I forgot anything I had mentioned previously (or if you think of anything you’d like I never talked about), let me know.

-Bug-busting and typo-eradicating. All mentioned have been resolved. Just, you know, not on your end yet.
-20-25 achievements added; the rest of them will come at the end (I love doing achievements. I want to make a game that’s just achievements, and you get a new one for every time you hit Next). I have done four of them so far. A couple you have to get, one shameless plug for Nuclear Powered Toaster and an ode to my single favorite dialogue exchange I have written in this story, or possibly any other. See if you can guess what it is, as although the achievements are not yet public, this bit of dialogue is!
-Including the option for beta testers to see all random scenes each time through. Finished this morning! The option comes in year 1. Please note: you see all once-randomizes scenes if you choose to, EXCEPT the baby getting sick. That now only pops if you don’t avoid contagion, instead of coming up both as a random one and a reaction to your other choices.
-Adding the money mechanic (this should be interesting, and will likely lead to slight text alterations throughout everything up to now) This is a bit of a sticky widget. Anyone who wants to help, I posted about this in Ultimate Noob Coding.
-Pie Delicious!

I will still try to write some words this month, but likely a lot less.

An update on the fine-tuning being done. I finished my sub-Q submission and came back to this, working some this morning on the various goals and writing a bit more of the seemingly endless pet event. Since the next event will feature tons of new elements with the derandomized option and the addition of money and achievements, as well as two entire chapters completed, it will:
A. Take a long time, yo. Hopefully December? I’d like to say by Christmas but there’s no guarantee.
B. Officially mark the ‘over the hill’ moment for the story. Both in terms of being over halfway done and because presumably your character would be getting pretty old by now, eh?

Okay, I hate to triple-post, but some guidance is requested. I’m looking more at the money, and trying to decide how to handle it. Should it be a detailed budget, where you earn a certain amount every year which then has money deducted based on individual choices as well as long-reaching changes such as getting the pet or enrolling in the most expensive school that lead to permanent yearly deductions? Or does this distract from the parenting part of the app, and it should just be a simple ‘you have X dollars, and this decision decreases it or this decision increases it’, possibly with a small amount put in each year to keep things afloat?

it should just be a simple ‘you have X dollars, and this decision decreases it or this decision increases it’, possibly with a small amount put in each year to keep things afloat?

I would vote for this idea. Not a big fan of management in games myself, and keeping track of a detailed budget and balancing it would detract me. I would like income and expense to have a small part in this story, not a significant or overbearing one. Just my opinion.

This has nothing to do with my utter and complete inability to deal aptly with money in real life or in fiction, of course.

That’s how I am leaning. It would be interesting to do a detailed budget situation, but it would force you to make a lot of parenting decisions based on money. That is sadly realistic, but perhaps not ideal given the focus of the game.

That’s how I am leaning. It would be interesting to do a detailed budget situation, but it would force you to make a lot of parenting decisions based on money. That is sadly realistic, but perhaps not ideal given the focus of the game.

I know this might be too “gimmicky” or too “convenient” but I personally would set up a fund for the child that would be drawn on … the reasons for this fund can be many… but by setting up such a fund it will give you the artistic freedom to create the game you want.

The parent would not be benefiting from this fund per se … if set up as many of them are but to afford diapers, clothing and other essentials, it might be a way to provide realistic freedom but still add the constraints on the parent you are looking for.

Do you go out on a “date night” or spend 5 bucks on Starbucks every morning this month …

FYI, never spend on Starbucks. It’s such a waste. Drink crappier free coffee at your place of employment, if such is available. Or just avoid the stuff.

I think it might be best to go the simple route. I work in finance; if I start trying to make this realistic, I won’t stop, and it’ll be a budget-balancing game where you also occasionally talk to some kid that lives in your home. Rent-free, I might add. Once I had regular income I’ll also need regular deductions (for care and feeding of a pet, for example, or dues for the activities). I’ll have to display all that on a separate stat screen. Offer money earned for ‘interest’ and probably the option for loans. It’s a slippery slope I don’t trust myself to walk.

However, the money saved will have a lasting impact on some endings. Particularly college. So it is a college fund in a sense; without a decent balance, the kid will have to get the money some other way.

Of course! Scholarships won’t just be for those superachievers, but the best ones likely will be. Just keep in mind that it doesn’t guarantee a ‘good’ ending to get them into a great school. Mostly because, if I do this right, there will be no good endings. Though potentially a few that are objectively bad.

I was going to make a Parenthood joke about how if you made them play second base they would go up on a bell tower with a rifle, but that joke isn’t as funny as it was 28 years ago thanks to all the people that basically have done that.

So if you do get the best scholarships and schools for a superachieving child, will they
a: have to move away from everything they know and truly forge their own path, or b: work themselves so hard to get there that they are almost too exhausted to even react properly? And if they aren’t superachievers, will they likely stay closer to home, but at the cost of opportunity and future prospects, as well as debts?